Texas Winter 2010-2011

[SaskatchewanScreamer]

iorange that is what the storm looked like that southwestern Saskatchewan and Alberta recently had (cars were totally buried and semi's had the snow cover their cabs).

Snow blasts Alberta, strands motorists
NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE
CALGARY— From Monday's Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Jan. 09, 2011 9:41PM EST
Last updated Sunday, Jan. 09, 2011 9:42PM EST

Police and road crews battled three-metre-high drifts to reach motorists stranded by a fierce Alberta storm Sunday.

In a western echo of the treacherous conditions that descended upon Ontario’s Highway 402 in December, snow and strong winds trapped hundreds of cars on a 100-kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway east of Calgary over the weekend. Dangerous road conditions hampered attempts by RCMP and road workers to check cars, some in the ditch and others feared buried. The blizzard killed at least one person in a collision Saturday that involved six passenger vehicles, three transport trucks and a Greyhound bus.

Running through the Snow “We have drifting out there so bad that the snowplows can’t move it. They have to get in loaders because it’s packed so hard,” said RCMP Sergeant Patrick Webb Sunday afternoon. At that point, officers had removed 30 to 40 people from vehicles.

But the work continued amid fears that people were unlikely able to rescue themselves on the isolated Prairie road, where wind-chills plunged to -30 C and visibility diminished at times to almost nothing. Winds gusted to nearly 80 kilometres an hour with 15 to 20 centimetres of fresh snow. A Twitter user called it an “Arctic Armageddon.” And RCMP said it was bad enough to kill.

“That potential is there,” Sgt. Webb said. “We could have buried vehicles, and people sitting there and nobody even knows where they are. Some of the drifts have been as high as semi cabs.”

Police closed off the Trans-Canada between Calgary and Bassano, Alta., on Saturday night, although some motorists still managed to make it through. Jason Greschuk and three friends were returning to Winnipeg from a snowboarding vacation in Alberta. They had been listening to music on the drive, and had missed travel alerts.

“I would tell you how bad the road was if I could see it,” Mr. Greschuk said. “We were going line by line.”

They arrived in Strathmore, about 50 kilometres east of Calgary, early Sunday morning, and found the lights on at Westmount Elementary School. About 120 people were provided shelter for the night, sleeping on mats on the gymnasium floor. Local hotels, which were already full from a weekend novice tournament, lent pillows and blankets, while local residents came by to offer spare bedrooms. The local Tim Hortons and Husky House Restaurant brought sandwiches and breakfast foods.

“We’ve got enough doughnuts to last us until next week,” said school principal Wayne Funk. “Everybody’s just been really good about getting stuff here to make it as comfortable as possible.”

And those at the school attempted to make the best of it. One teacher came by to set up an arts and crafts station to occupy bored children. Mr. Funk watched as a little girl walked to the station and told her mother, “ this is the best holiday I’ve ever had!”

Mr. Greschuk and his friends, meanwhile, spent Sunday playing dodgeball and volleyball in the school gym. Although winds continued to gust outside to 60 km/h, they began to diminish in the afternoon, and RCMP opened the Trans-Canada to westbound traffic for several hours.

That did little to help Mr. Greschuk, who needed to continue east into the worst of a storm that wasn’t expected to fully relent until Monday.

But, he said, “there’s a ton of stuff to do here. I’m not in a huge hurry to be home.”

[southerngale]

All of SE Texas under a Winter Storm Watch

http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php ... glossary=1

Not all of SE TX, unless Texas is shoving us over into Louisiana where our "local" NWS is. LCH hasn't issued anything yet. Local stations are on the ball, though.

[iorange55]

That is just ridiculous. What were the official accumulations for Chicago?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-lake-shore-drive-closed-due-to-blizzard-20110201,0,347680.story

That story is well worth the read. I think totals were between 13 to 21 inches or so.

[downsouthman1]

OK, so for at least through hour 12 (midnight tonight), the 18Z NAM is now seeing the current trends of very light snow falling in NW TX & shows more across our immediate west in the same timeframe.

Think that is flurries at best. Probably not reaching the ground most of it.

Right now, but all of that virga moistens the column & sets the stage for meaningful precip later. If this is occurring to our west right now, that is a very good sign.

[iorange55]

iorange that is what the storm looked like that southwestern Saskatchewan and Alberta recently had (cars were totally buried and semi's had the snow cover their cabs).

Couldn't imagine being buried in snow while in my car.

[Brent]

That is just ridiculous. What were the official accumulations for Chicago?

20" at O'Hare. 3" shy of the all-time record... I watched WGN last night and at noon and the wind is what has really made it bad with all the drifting and causing power outages.

[HockeyTx82]

That is just ridiculous. What were the official accumulations for Chicago?

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cm ... 8&source=0

WOW!!!

[Ntxw]

Portastorm will love the latest NAM. I sense a PWC briefing coming.

North Texas also gets decent moisture from the ULL itself via a trowal. Houston benefits from gulf moisture directly.

[iorange55]

Portastorm will love the latest NAM. I sense a PWC briefing coming.

Lol, lot of people are going to like it. Your avatar continues to deliver.

[TeamPlayersBlue]

Oh wow, NAM does look nice. Thats almost like another round of moisture if the storm were to track to the East a bit more

[Ntxw]

Deformation bands ftw! Lol I wonder what the ratio's would be. The ULL is colddddd. I bet 15:1 or higher from Austin-Northeast Texas.

[southerngale]

KFDM not waiting on NWS?


Winter storm advisory: Sub-freezing temperatures and an upper level low pressure area will move across East and Southeast Texas beginning Thursday evening into Friday.

Freezing rain, sleet or snow will cause roadways to ice over after dark on Thursday and a continuation of precipitation on Friday will keep the icing on the roads, bridges and overpasses for most of the day.


http://www.kfdm.com/news/friday-41279-thursday-winter.html

[SaskatchewanScreamer]

Here's a good pond for Hockey: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/11128371

and here is the best pic I've taken of what real cold looks like here: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7807353

and now I'll leave your Texan forum so you folks can get back to your current weather . ;D

[Portastorm]

Portastorm will love the latest NAM. I sense a PWC briefing coming.

North Texas also gets decent moisture from the ULL itself via a trowal. Houston benefits from gulf moisture directly.

We may have to do it by candlelight given the rolling power blackouts! But man o man, that run looks bee-u-tiful!

[iorange55]

and now I'll leave your Texan forum so you folks can get back to your current weather . ;D

Nice that us "southern folk" could bond with you during the arctic plunge.

[Ntxw]

18z NAM moves the vortmax through West Texas. It even gives Oklahoma snow and adds more pain to their misery...

Verbatim: 1-3 inches in SE Texas 3+ Around the LA border to the NE.

1-3 AUS area, 3 closer to the northern areas.

1-2 DFW.

[downsouthman1]

Portastorm will love the latest NAM. I sense a PWC briefing coming.

North Texas also gets decent moisture from the ULL itself via a trowal. Houston benefits from gulf moisture directly.

We may have to do it by candlelight given the rolling power blackouts! But man o man, that run looks bee-u-tiful!

Appears we have already experienced our last rolling blackout for today. I can't say for sure about tonight though:

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/over ... hout-power

[WacoWx]

Portastorm will love the latest NAM. I sense a PWC briefing coming.

North Texas also gets decent moisture from the ULL itself via a trowal. Houston benefits from gulf moisture directly.

if those 2 statements in bold verify, i have to be sitting pretty. Just give me an inch or two Mutha Natcha.

[natecast]

18z NAM moves the vortmax through West Texas. It even gives Oklahoma snow and adds more pain to their misery...

Verbatim: 1-3 inches in SE Texas 3+ Around the LA border to the NE.

1-3 AUS area, 3 closer to the northern areas.

1-2 DFW.

A lot of people here would LOVE to hear that news, LOL.

[Outlaw JW]

18z NAM moves the vortmax through West Texas. It even gives Oklahoma snow and adds more pain to their misery...

Verbatim: 1-3 inches in SE Texas 3+ Around the LA border to the NE.

1-3 AUS area, 3 closer to the northern areas.

1-2 DFW.

West Texas is a big place! Can you elaborate a little and does vortmax mean anything to my geography?